Toy typewriter



March 7, 1939.

s. R. BELL i v 2,149,264

TOY' TYPEWRITER Filed oct. 24, 1955 i BY e ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 7,1939 n UNITED sfr-ATIs-s PATIENT 2,149,264 TOYTYPEWMTER Sidney R. Bell,Stamford, Conn. vapplicati@ october k24, lssase'rial 10.46.592

11 Claims.

The present invention vrelates to typing andis especially concerned withan improved and simpliedtoy typewritercomprising relatively fewpartsandadapted to be readilymanufactured pivoted arm carrying a cupshaped guard provided with a manually rotatable type carrying dial andmeans for frictionally holding the yarm in a set position duringrotation of the dial relativeto Lthe guard. Y y

",'The invention has as another object the provisiOIllOf, aA novel toytypewriter having aselfraising pivoted arm comprising aV guard rotatablysup- Y porting a type carrying dial which'include's means cooperatingwith .a colored index associated with the guard for appropriatelysetting the rotatabledial to apredetermined position ofr selection.

the provision of a toy typewriter comprising a spring controlleddepressible arm having a cup shaped guard surrounding a rotatable nesteddial and spring actuated means rfor locking the dial inra predeterminedposition of selection.

The invention furthercontemplates as an object the provision of a toytypewriter characterized by a relatively light stiffened and reinforcedtype carrying rotatable dial adapted to ber setk and locked inapredetermined position of selection and self raising depressible meansadapted to be moved toward a rectilinear platen to 'permit a selectedportion of the dial to cast an ink impression against a sheet of papersup- 4'5 ported on the platen. f

The invention has as another object the provision of a'toy typewriterhaving a guarded and anested type carrying rotatablewheel or dialmounted on adepressible arm and complementary escapement means forlaterally advancing the arm .one step preparatory toeach printingoperation of the dial.

; AThe invention has vas a further object the provisioncf a' toytypewriter having manually rockable means rotatably sustained 'by 'thebaser plate Y TheA invention comprehends as another object 'OFFICEthereof for advancing a sheetv of 'paper step by step and in a directiontowards a'type carrying rotatable dial, and'loosely and rotatablymountedcheckingmeans to prevent displacement of the sheet 'of vpaper in acounter vdirection during manipulation of the rockable means.

The inventioncomprehend's as a further object the provision of a baseplate delninga rectilinear platen 'supporting complementary escapementmeans 'and' a spaced track for rectilnearly and laterally guiding a dialcarrying pivoted arm, the complementary escapement means andthe ,trackconstituting 'guide gated and alined means or communicating elongaps tofacilitate guiding of the sheetfcfpaper interposed between thev baseplate andthe track, and between the base plate and the' rack.

The 'invention has as another object the provision of a toy typewritercharacterized by a rectilinear'platen adapted to4 receive the impact'ofa type carryingr dial during reach printing operationl and strengtheningmeans integrally ydepending from the platen 'to prevent flexing thereofalong'the 'line of printing. v

"The' invention has as another object the provision of va toy typewriter further characterized inthat the: type carrying rotatable 'dialis provided with an'fannularr strengthening rib cooperasing with the'guard of "the dial to prevent tilting'of the latter relativefto theguard.

"Theinvention contemplates as another object the provision of a prisinga slidable simpliiied Vtoy typewriter comcarri'age having a pivotedconnection with a'sprng controlled arm Ycarrying a guard to 'which' isrotatably and concentrcally mounted a dial having an annular embossedrim carrying a plurality of outwardly facing spaced' type, the

guard Vincluding ange means spaced'from the dial to render the type ofthe latter Y inaccessible t touchfon the part of the operatorv,v theflange means, however, defining a gap to .receive an d'permit a selectedportion of thedial tofaceidownwardly preparatory to the printingkrperaltionk '.Ths'eland otherfeatures of the invention will bebest"unlc'erstoodfnand appreciated from the following'descripticn ofthepreferred embodiment thereofselected for purposes of illustration andshownl in .the accompanying drawing ini-which:

Fig. 1A ilustratesj-in'sideelevationf and partly in'section',the'vtoygtypewriter according-to my itdudinal A*plan broken View 'ofFig. 3 is a face view of the rotatable dial and its guard.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view cn the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 across the rectilinearplaten in Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 8 is aperspective View of the slidable carriage.

The toy typewriter, generally denoted Ill, comprises a rectangular tableor base II, a longitudinally disposed track l2, a slidable carriage I3,a pivoted arm of housing I4, a guard I5, a rotatable dial i6, paperfeeding means I1, checking means i3 to prevent return displacement of asheet of paper and complementary escapement means including a weightedpawl I9 rotatably mounted on arm I4 and a longitudinally arranged rack26 secured to base II.

More particularly table II comprises an elongated sheet metal plate 23having a peripheral depending flange 2i comprising a lower beaded edge22 to prevent marring or stratching of the supporting surface on whichthe toy typewriter is placed.

Track I2 is a one piece sheet metal channel shaped member comprising anelongated flat horizontally disposed plate or wall 23 having verticallydisposed depending sides 24 each having rectangularly shaped lugs 25appropriately passed through correspondingly shaped openings in the flathorizontal plate 23 of the base and subsequently turned inwardly andagainst the lower surface thereof, thus appropriately securing track l2to the table or base to prevent relative displacement thereof.

For slidably guiding carriage I3 longitudinally of the table, track i2integrally includes front and rear spaced and inwardly turned flanges 26defining spaced longitudinal grooves 21 with the plate 23. The spacedgrooves 21 slidably receive and guide the spaced integrally dependingangle irons or rails 23 extending from the upper horizontal wall 29 ofcarriage I3.

Extending upwardly from the wall 29 vof the carriage I3 and integraltherewith is a pair of spaced vertically disposed ears 3U each having alug 3l struck inwardly thereof and towards each other to serve asfulcrum means for pivotally sustaining the yokeshaped housing or arm I4.

Specifically, however, each inwardly overhanging lug of the spaced ears33 is pivotally mounted in an associated opening 32 of companion spacedsides 33 of arm I4, the ears 30 of the carriage closely straddling sidesv33 but permitting relative pivotal movement of the arm, it being notedthat sides 33 of the pivoted arm I4 are integrally interconnected by aninclined wall 34 to constitute a housing while each of the sides 33includes a lower depending corner shoulder or projection 35. Thesespaced shoulders 35 cooperate with the rear stop flange 26 of track I2to limit upward pivotal displacement of arm i4 which is normallyretained in a raised or elevated position by a curved leaf spring 36disposed within the housing constituted by arm I4.

When arm I4 is manually depressed, the free leg 31 of the flat leafspring 36 abutting wall 34 is flexed downwardly and upon removal of suchpressure, leg 31 automatically pivots arm I 4 upwardly but such upwardpivotal displacement is limited by the coaction of spaced abutmentshoulders 35 striking the rear flange 26. In connection with leaf spring36, it will be observed that its lower leg 38 is rigidly anchored to thetop horizontal wall 29 of the carriage.

Rigidly attached to the forward part of the pivoted hollow arm I4 is thecup shaped cylindrical guard I5 having its lower zone portion cut awayto provide a relatively wide gap or mouth 39 for rotatably receiving aportion of the nested dish shaped type carrying dial I 6.

To facilitate assembling of guard I5 to arm I4, the spaced sides 33 ofthe latter are each provided with inclined edges 46 and the rear wall 34interconnecting sides 33 includes a longitudinal edge 4I, the latter andedges 46 being disposed against the rear circular wall 42 of guard I5.However, edges 46 and 4i include tabs or lugs 43 adapted to be passedthrough suitable openings in the rear wall 42 of the guard andthereafter turned or bent against the front face thereof, therebyforming the rigid connection between the guard and arm.

As previously pointed out, dial I6 is rotatable relative to guard I5. Tothis end, the latter is provided with a forwardly extending annular andconcentric nipple 43 projecting through an axially arranged circularopening 44 in the rearwardly extending annular hub or boss 44 integralwith the circular inclined wall 45 of the dial. Subsequently [theforward portion 46 of nipple 43 is upset to constitute an annularretaining flange overlapping portions of hub 44 adjacent its bore. Inother words, annular flange and its nipple 43 together with rear wall 42of the guard provide an annular groove or bearing, the walls of whichrotatably support and guide hub 44 of the dial.

It should be noted that the rear inclined wall of annular hub 44 is inmovable contact with the guard and is retained in such relationship bythe retaining flange 46. Hub 44 together with the rearwardly depressedannular rib or bead 41 function as means to space circular wall 45 ofthe rotatable dial away from the rear wall of the guard, the annular rib41 of the dial also serves to stiifen and reinforce the latter, and byemploying this structural expedient lighter metal stock out of which thedial is formed may be utilized.

The frusto-conical rim 0r annular flange 48 of the dial is appropriatelyembossed or stamped to provide outwardly facing type 49circumferentially arranged in spaced relation and forming means inassociation with the spaced inking pads 56 which coat the type duringrotation of the dial for printing on a sheet of paper (not shown)mounted on the horizontal wall 23 of the base, of course, after arm I4has been manually depressed.

Each of the inking pads 56 is suitably retained in a sheet metal frame5I integrally carried by a bent resilient arm 52 secured to rear wall 42of the guard I5 by fastening means in the form of rivets 53. The inkingpads 56 are thus disposed between the guard and the type carrying rim ofthe rotatable dial and as the latter rotates, the inking pads yieldinglybear against the moving type and coat the latter.

According to the invention, the forward face of the rear inclined wallor disc 45 of the dial is provided with an annular and closed band ofindicia consisting of letters of the alphabet 54, numerals 55 and otherdesired designations 58 as shown, each in radial registration withcorrespondingly identified type 49 of the rim of the rotatable dial.

Interposed between the indicia band of the dial and the annularstiffening rib 41 is a closed annular zone of spaced perforations orindents 56? adapted to selectively interlock with an associated detentcarrying spring arm 51 rigidly fastened to the rear wall 42 of theguard, that is, detent 59'of arm 51 is adapted to resiliently andkremovably interlock with an indent 56 for holding the'rotatable dial ata predetermined position of selection. This positionis determined byrotating the dial to line up the selected character of the indicia bandof the dial with a colored front' wall 69 of a forwardly projecting boss6I of the guard'. For example, where it is desired to print the'letterA, the dial is rotated until the letter A appears in alinement with thecolored index wall 6l) of boss 6I at which time the dial is stopped andconsequently detent 59 enters and interlocks with an opening 56, therebyholding the dial in -a set position preparatory to manually depressingpivoted arm I4, it being noted that for each character as 54` or 55there is provided a radially alined opening 56 in the annular zone ofspaced perforations of the dial.

For selecting a desired character to be printed, the dial is firstmanually grasped and rotated until thel selected character lines up withcolored wall 60. With the selection completed and the dial locked, itwill be observedin Fig. 3, that the lower part of the dial is disposedwithin the gap or mouth 39 of the guard. In other words, theselectedportion of the dial is outside of the rim of the guard andspatially overhangs the latter, whereby the selected type facesdownwardly and slightly above the horizontal wall 23 of the base.

Further in accordance with the present invention, wall 23 of the rbaseis utilized to support a sheet Vof paper against which the ink coatedselected type of the rotatable dial is pressed to effect casting an inkimpression thereon. In this connection', it will be observed that thepaper holding and feeding means I1 comprises an actuator 63 embodying anelongated cylindrical rod 64 rotatably sustained on a pair of spacedupstanding perforated ears'65, struck out of the horizontal wall 23 ofthe base.

Rod 64 comprises an integrally flattened crank 66 adapted to bedepressed by the lingers of the operator for rotating rod 64 whereby thespaced cylindrical rubber feed rolls 61 rigidly fastened to rod 64 maybe correspondingly rotated. Normally crank 66 is held in a raisedposition by reason oi"Y a` spring 68 having an intermediate portion69`coiled about rod 64, one rectilinear leg 10 of spring 68 downwardlyabutting wall 23, while another offset leg 1I thereof resiliently bearsagainst a lower face of the crank arm 66.

In this connection, it will be observed that offset leg or terminal 1Iof spring 68 includes a laterally disposed part 12 normally abutting ashoulder 13 integral with an associated ear 65 which forms onesupporting bearing for rod 64.

During each downward stroke of the crankr arm, spring 68 absorbsascertain amount of energy, which is released upon removal of fingerpressure from the crank arm. Consequently, the

latter rises' automatically and thus turns-rod 64 in a reversedirection. It will be appreciated, however, that rearward displacementof the crank arm is limited due to abutment 12 of spring 69 striking thestop shoulder 13.

However, on the return of the crank arm to its normally raised positionmeans has been provided to prevent bodily forward or return displacementof the paper previously bodily advanced rearwardly. To this end,checking means I8 in the form of a pair of spaced cam shaped wedgemembers of spring metal or rubber are loosely rotatably mounted on rod64. Each of the cam shaped members has a weighted nose or wedge 15frictionally cooperating with the upper surface of the sheet of paper tohold the latter stationary at a time when the crank is moving upwardlyto its normally raised position at which time feed rolls 61 move in adirection counter or reverse to their rotation when the crank arm isdepressed.

Upon each complete downward stroke of the dial preparatory to eachprinting operation thereof, the dial is advanced laterally one step tothe right. For this purpose an escapement is provided. The escapementessentially consists of complementary members characterized by rotatablepawl or latch I9 and the longitudinally disposed bar in the form of arack 20 having its spaced teeth 16 facing upwardly. The rack is spacedfrom upper Wall 23 of the base II to leave a gap 11 through which thesheet of paper mounted on wall 23 is advanced rearwardly step by step,the rack 20 being secured to wall 23 by oppositely extending lugs 18 and19 as is well understood. y

Rotatably secured to al lug 80 bent from one side wall ofy arm I4 as toextend within the housing thereof is the pawl or lever I9. Particularly,however, pawl I9 has its intermediate portion rotatably carried by arivet 8l fastened to lug 89. The pawl is provided with a lower weightedand curved flared or tail portion 82 severally cooperating with theteeth of the rack to bodily advance carriage I3 and its pivoted hollowarm I4 step by step laterally to the right, consequently correspondinglyadvancing the dial.

The upper part of the rotatable weighted pawl I9 overhangs arm I4 andincludes a rearwardly extending lug or shoulder 83 having two purposes,one to cooperate with an adjacent side 33 of arm I4 to limit normaldownward displacement of the weighted portion of the pawl and two,serving as a nger piece for manipulating the pawl to disengage thelatter from the rack if interlocked therewith or for clearing the rackto permit manual and lateral displacement of the carriage relative toits guide track or base.

The upper horizontal wall 23 of the track I2 is spaced from the upperhorizontal wally 23 of the base thereby providing an elongatedrelatively narrow gap 84 in communication with a correspondingly shapedgap 11 formed by the rack 20 and the upper horizontal wall 23 of thebase- II, the communicating and alined gaps 11 and -84 providing meansfor receiving and guiding the sheet of paper' as it is advancedrearwardly step by step after successive manipulations of the crank arm.In Fig. l, the arrow indicates the direction of travel of the paperrearwardly along the base and after the desired printing is completed,the rearward margin of the paper has passed through gap 84 and extendsbeyond the rear part oi the track, thereby readily permitting graspingof Athis Apart of the sheet by the operator who` pulls the sheetrearwardly and completely through and out of gap 84. In other words,gaps 'Il and 84 constitute a transversely disposed guide slot forguiding a sheet of paper rearwardly relative to the base.

In operation, assuming, of course, a sheet of paper is mounted on wall23 as to be advanced step by step upon operation of the crank arm, theoperator now turns by finger pressure the dial relative to the guard. Atthe desired selection, the colored wall 6U appears in registration withan opening t of the annular zone of perforations. In this position, thedial is locked by the spring actuated detent 59 interlocking withanother opening 56 of the Zone of perforations.

Pursuant to the indicia selection and locking of the dial, the operatornow applies a downwardly directed linger pressure on the rim of the dialat a'point substantially in line with the colored Wall 60 of the boss 6IConsequently arm M is pivotally moved in a downward direction relativeto carriage I3 and pawl I9 enters a notch between a pair of teeth on therack 2li. On continued finger pressure applied to the selected part ofthe rim of the dial, pawl I9 is caused to be rotatably displaced a fewdegrees, thus causing the pivoted arm lli and its supporting carriage I3to be bodily and laterally displaced one step to the right anddownwardly. Hence the selected type of the dial contacts the paper andcasts an ink impression thereon.

When, however, the dial is rotated relative to the guard, lateraldisplacement of the arm M and carriage I 3 is prevented. For during theselection of a desired character, arm I4 is held in a raised position bythe leaf spring 3l'. The energy of this spring causes shoulders or feet35 of the arm to frictionally engage the rear rail 26 of the track I2.It follows therefore that in the normal raised position of the arm, thedial may be rotated without disturbing the set position of the armHaving applied the desired impression on the sheet of paper, manual orfinger pressure is removed from the dial, and the arm I4 isautomatically raised by spring 31. When arm I4 lifts, pawl IQautomatically shifts to its normal position by reason of its weightedtail part 32, thereby preparing itself to cooperate with a successivetooth of the rack on the following downward stroke of the pivoted armI4.

In accordance with the invention, Wall 23 which received the impact ofthe dial during the process of printing is rectilinear, that is, thecentral part 8S of wall 23, for the purpose of the present inventionserves as the platen. Therefore to prevent downward sagging ordeiiecting of the platen 36 to provide a relatively rigid support toresist the force of the impact by the dial on the printing operation,top wall 23 is integrally provided with longitudinal spaced braces 81struck out of Wall 23 and disposed vertically and downwardly in parallelto the front and rear sides of the peripheral rim 2l of the base.

According to the present invention several parts may be made of sheetmetal or light weight metal stock, such as aluminum, although theinvention is not restricted to the type of material employed. It will beappreciated, however, that the typewriter herein disclosed comprisesrelatively few parts and can be readily manufactured and assembled at arelatively low cost.

It Will be observed that the normally inclined rear Wall d2 embodies acentrally arranged depending lip 42 serving as a stop adapted to abutthe paper on the platen on each down stroke of the pivoted arm on asettable spacing operation of the ldial thereby precluding thepossibility of transfer of any ink of adjacent type of the dial onto thepaper. In other words, lip 42' strikes the paper on the platen during aspacing operation and hence the type of the dial is held out of contactwith the paper during this operation although the pivoted arm has beendepressed.

While the invention has been described in detail and many modicatons anda specific application thereof have been referred to, the inventionherein is not limited to such specific application and it is to beunderstood that all matter contained in the above description or shownin the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

I claim:-

l. In a toy typewriter, a base having a track, a step by stepdisplaceable carriage slidably guided by said track, a transverselydisposed arm pivoted to said carriage, spring means for normally holdingsaid arm elevated, and an indicia and-type carrying dial rotatablerelative to said arm, said arm and track having means to limit upwardpivotal displacement of said arm, said spring means cooperating withsaid arm to cause the latter to abut said track and prevent lateraldisplacement of said arm during rotation of said dial.

2. In a toy typewriter, a displaceable arm having an indicia and typecarrying rotatable dial, means for laterally guiding said arm, springmeans for normally holding said arm elevated, means to limit upwardpivotal displacement of said arm, and means to prevent lateraldisplacement of said arm during rotation of said dial.

3. In a toy typewriter, a guard, an indicia carrying dial rotatably andconcentrically carried within said guard, inking means carried by saidguard and detent means secured to said guard, said dial comprising adisc having a plurality of perforations and a type carrying rim, saidinking means upon rotation of said dial adapted to coat the type of saidrim, said detent means pursuant to rotation of said dial to apredetermined position cooperating with one perforation of saidplurality to hold said dial in a predetermined position of selection.

4. In a toy typewriter, a guard having a portion thereof removed, a dialrotatably carried by said guard and having a part thereof movablyextending beyond said removed portion, inking means carried by saidguard and detent means mounted on said guard, said dial comprising adisc and a forwardly projecting rim, said disc comprising a plurality ofspaced perforations and a plurality of spaced indicia in radialalinement with said perforations, said rim having a plurality of spacedtype in radial alinement with corresponding indicia of said disc, saidinking means upon rotation of said dial adapted to coat said type ofsai-d rim, said detent means cooperating with a perforation of saidplurality to hold a selected and coated portion of said rim in saidremoved portion of said guard.

5. In a toy typewriter, a guard having a portion thereof removed andincluding a colored index, spring actuated detent means connected tosaid guard and a dial rotatably supported on said guard comprising arearwardly disposed disc and a forwardly projecting rim including spacedtype, said disc having a plurality of openings and spaced indicia inalinement with said openings and said type, said colored index beingseverally viewable through said perforations for setting said type to apredetermined position, said detent means severally cooperating withsaid perforations to hold said dial in a predetermined position ofselection.

6. In a toy typewriter, a spring actuated transversely disposed armhaving a guard and an indicia and type carrying dial rotatably mountedon said guard, said dial having a rearwardly disposed strengthening ribto prevent tilting of said dial relative to said guard.

7. In a toy typewriter, a pivoted and spring actuated transverselydisposed laterally step by step displaceable arm, a guard secured tosaid arm and having a portion thereof removed to define a gap, a dialrotatably carried by said guard and having a circumferential portionthereof movably receivable in said gap to overhang said guard, said dialhaving an annular reinforcing bead to prevent tilting of the dialrelative to said guard and means to prevent rotation of said dialrelative to said guard.

8. In a toy typewriter, a platen, an arm, a type carrying dial rotatablerelative to said arm, a channeled member disposed at the rear andlongitudinally of said platen, and a carriage having spaced bentelements slidably guided by the marginal portion of said channeledmember and including upstanding wings, said arm comprising a housingstraddling said wings and pivotally supported by the latter.

9. In a toy typewriter, an arm, a platen, a channeled member spaced fromsaid platen, a guard secured to said arm, a dial rotatably sustained bysaid guard, said channeled member having transversely spacedlongitudinally extending marginal beads, a carriage having transverselyspaced elements slidably guided by said beads and including upstandingsubstantially vertically disposed wings, said arm comprising a housingadapted to enclose said wings, means for pivotally sustaining said armrelative to said wings, and spring means cooperating with said arm tonormally hold the latter in a raised position.

10. In a toy typewriter, an elongated platen, a depressible arm, asubstantially U shaped channeled member spaced from said platen, a guardsecured to said arm and including a bearing, a type carrying dialrotatably sustained by said bearing, said channeled member having spacedlongitudinally disposed marginally extending beads, a shiftable carriagehaving transversely spaced elements slidably guided by said beads andincluding upstanding substantially vertically disposed wings, said armcomprising a housing adapted to enclose said wings, means for pivotallysustaining said arm relative to said Wings, and spring means cooperatingwith said arm to normally hold the latter in a raised position.

11. In a toy typewriter, a platen having an elongated rectilinear upperface, an arm, a channeled member having a lower substantiallyhorizontally disposed wall spaced from said face, a guard fixed to saidarm, an indicia and type carrying dial rotatably sustained by saidguard, said channeled member having transversely spaced beads, acarriage shiftable longitudinally of said platen and having transverselyspaced elements slidably guided by said beads and including upstandingsubstantially vertically disposed wings, said arm comprising a housingadapted to embrace said wngs, means for pivotally sustaining said armrelative to said wings, and spring means cooperating with said arm tonormally hold the latter in a raised position.

SIDNEY R. BELL.

